DEAR PARTICIPANTS, WELCOME TO VOLDA!

On behalf of Volda University College, it is a great pleasure for me to welcome all of you to this conference on Media and the Cold War. As the rector of this college I am proud that the staff of the Faculty of Media and Journalism together with their colleagues from overseas are arranging this conference at our college in Volda. We hope that your meeting here will promote international academic cooperation and scholarly exchange of ideas – and at the same time inspire personal friendships among the participants.

As you may already have recognized, Volda University College is located in a rather small town in the Norwegian fjord district. This place has long traditions in higher education, and it is an interesting fact that in the early 1920s the teacher training college here in Volda was the largest in Scandinavia – with more than 400 students.

In recent years, we have become more and more international. Out of approximately 4000 students, more than 200 come from overseas – from about 25 different countries. Our four faculties offer a variety of courses in their subject areas: Humanities and Education, Social Sciences and History, Art and Physical Education and Media and Journalism.

In the Scandinavian context our university college is particularly renowned for its academic studies in animation, broadcast journalism and documentary film production. We offer a great combination of a highly trained academic staff with a small and inclusive learning environment. Below average class sizes enable students to frequently interact with faculty members and administrative staff. In addition, you will find that our campus is compact with all school buildings within five minutes’ walking distance from each other.

Attending international conferences and seminars is an important part of our strategy to improve our scholars’ ability to participate in international networks together with other researchers in their fields. Organizing international conferences like this one therefore has a direct influence on our activities. It contributes well to our work of developing further the quality of our education based on high quality research.

I wish the organizers as well as all the participants every success with this event. May these days in November provide lively scholarly debates and enjoyable social moments, resulting in lasting professional cooperation and friendship!